These quilting directions can be used to make any sized quilt, a pillow or pillow shams, or a lap throw. Simply make the number of squares you need to make the item you desire.

            Although the finished quilt looks very complicated it isn’t at all. It’s really very simple and it is something that  you can do while sitting in the waiting room at the orthodontist, doctor, dentist, or at your kids soccer, baseball, cricket, basketball practice or while on the subway going to work…you get the idea. You make this quilt in small sections and you can take it with you everywhere. While it is possible to make a Cathedral Window Quilt with your sewing machine, I’m a purest and prefer the look of a handmade quilt. The pictures that I feature here are for a traditional quilt with an unbleached muslin background square and inset squares from scrap material. If you use your imagination you can come up with some wonderfully creative new ideas. Here are the basic directions.

Like all quilts, this one takes a little planning. First you will need to decide the fabric that you want for your background fabric and for your inset squares. You can choose any combinations that you would like. When you have decided on your color choices you will need to do a little math.

The background squares start out being 7” square.
They fold to 3 ¼ “square.

The Inset squares are 2” square.
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            Decide the size of the quilt that you would like to make.  If, for example, you would like to have a lap quilt 40”x60” the figure your fabric needs as follows;

40 divided by 3.25 = 12       So you will need 12 finished squares for the width.
60 divided by 3.25 = 18       So you will need 18 finished squares for the length.
12 x 18 = 216                        This is the total number of 7” X 7” squares needed to make your quilt.

If your fabric is 46 inches wide you will be able to get 6 squares out of the width.  To figure the amount of fabric needed;
216 divided by 6 = 36
So you will need 36 rows of 6 squares or;
36 X 7” = 252 inches of material or 7 yards of background fabric that is 46 inches wide.

You will also need 216 2” squares of fabric for the inserts.
Use this system to find the amount of fabric you will need to do your project.
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Also you will need several spools of
            cotton thread
            quilting thread
            sharp needles
            a small pair of scissors
            tape measure
            iron
            ironing board
            poster board
            metal ruler

            Cut the poster board into a couple of 6” x 6” squares. Keep one square for an extra.
            With the metal ruler measure the background material along the salvage and clip it at 7 inch intervals.
            Tear (do not cut) the fabric into 7 inch strips.
            Measure and clip each strip at 7 inch intervals.
            Tear the fabric at the clips making 7 inch squares.

            Set up your ironing board and iron. Iron each square flat. Place the 6” square of poster board (shows as red in picture) in the center of the background square and fold the excess fabric over the poster board square ironing the folded fabric on each side. Figure A
            When you have finished this for all your squares fold the square in half, keeping the edges folded, and sew up each short sides of the rectangle. Iron the resulting rectangles. Figure B
            Take each rectangle and pull the folded edges apart so that the fabric forms a square and the folded edges are together. Iron again.   Figure C    

Sew the corners of the square together so that the folded edges are now in the center of the square. The back of the square should be smooth.  Sew through the corners and all the thicknesses of the fabric to hold the corners in the center of the square. Repeat until all of your squares have been made. Figures D&E